Jupiter

--Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun and the largest in the solar system; It is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets combined

--It is named after the Roman king of the gods

--One of the most fascinating features of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot, which is actually the top of a large cyclone twice the size of Earth. It has lasted for at least 400 years.

--There are 67 known moons of Jupiter. The largest four are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They are known as the Galilean moons because they were discovered by Galileo

Jupiter is known as a gas giant (along with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) because its atmosphere is about 75% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass. The remaining 1% comprises methane, ammonia, water vapour and other compounds. Galileo is the only spacecraft to have ever orbited Jupiter, and the Galileo spacecraft gathered extensive information. Current missions such as Juno and JUICE are underway to learn more about Jupiter and its moons. Scientists are particularly interested in Europa, since its icy exterior is thought to harbour large liquid oceans, which may contain microbial life.
For this planet's panel in the model click here

News

This website accompanies the scale model of the solar system which starts outside Room 128 in the Petrie Science and Engineering building on the Keele Campus of York University (click for directions) and spirals up to the York University Observatory on the third floor of Petrie.

Credits

Website constructed by YSSSTP student Osato Idemudia in 2010, revamped by York Observatory student intern Visal Sok in 2013, and updated by high school student Shruthi Sailesh in 2015, under the supervision of Prof. Patrick Hall and Dr. Ali Rafiee.